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Chapter 236: Going Bare-Chested
🕑 Added 2025-01-10 17:58:22 +0000 UTCOn King West Street, many people were holding hamburgers, standing in the afternoon sun in a long line. Despite the queue stretching nearly 200 feet, no one left; they patiently waited.
"There is Only three screenings of Chicago."
A man in his fifties, a white old man, said to a visitor clearly from out of town, "My neighbor went to the second screening yesterday. He said it was really good, the best movie he's seen in the first four days of the film festival, so..."
He pointed to the men and women, young and old, around him. "Today is the weekend, and we all came as a family. If we miss the third screening, we'll have to wait two months to see it."
The old man looked at the person and suddenly asked curiously, "Aren't the media in America all doubting that Duke Rosenberg will mess up the movie? Why did you come all the way from Seattle?"
The older man shrugged. "I wanted to see how different the movie version is from the musical, and how could I miss a new film where super director Duke Rosenberg is collaborating with top star Tom Cruise?"
Next to him, his daughter added, "I just wanted to see the collaboration between the big stars and the big director. Tom Cruise looks so handsome in the posters, and Duke Rosenberg isn't bad either. I heard he's dating the female lead lately? Did they fall in love because of the movie? So romantic!"
The movie was still nearly half an hour away, but the line kept getting longer. They had just entered the theater when a volunteer shouted from behind.
"We're very sorry, the theater is full!"
They turned around to see a long line, hundreds of feet long. It seemed that Chicago had become the most talked-about film at this year's festival.
During the film festival, the blocks around King West Street were packed with hundreds of thousands of viewers. These people came in and out of every theater, trying to watch as many films as possible, taking the opportunity to eat, drink, and exchange opinions on the films they'd already seen, gathering information to choose which ones to watch next.
The power of word-of-mouth was more effective than any media campaign. Unconsciously, Chicago became the focal point of many discussions, and each of its three screenings was packed. Warner Brothers responded by adding two more screenings, though it still couldn't meet the demand. The film's journey at the festival was over.
Audiences from all over the world, particularly a large number of North American viewers, had watched the movie and became key points for its good word of mouth. Those who couldn't see it carried their hunger for the film back to their hometowns.
This was a common promotional strategy at the Toronto Film Festival used by Hollywood studios. It was also a form of hunger marketing.
However, simply achieving this wasn't enough for Warner Brothers and Duke's studio. Duke and the others soon returned to Los Angeles to continue promoting the film in various ways, while Warner Brothers' staff remained in Toronto, working to secure the film's victory in the festival's most important "Audience Choice Award!"
While this award was relatively fair, there was still room for maneuvering, and the Toronto Film Festival had long been a favorite platform for Hollywood films.
Of course, all of this was based on the fact that Chicago had indeed received countless positive reviews from audiences.
At the same time, the film's promotion in North America was ramping up, with news about it flooding the media.
"Tom Cruise's latest work, preparing for the musical for six months..."
"Duke Rosenberg and Tom Cruise's first collaboration, both believe that each other is their best partner."
"Two leading ladies, Naomi Watts and Catherine Zeta-Jones, both have strong dance and singing skills, and their performances will not disappoint..."
In addition to the standard promotional tactics, gossip and rumors were also effective supplements. The cast, from Duke to Tom Cruise, and from Naomi Watts to Catherine Zeta-Jones, all participated actively.
Nancy Josephson secured a Tiffany endorsement contract for Naomi Watts, and Duke's studio reached an agreement with Tiffany to hold a press conference just before the film's release. Naomi Watts, at the press conference, talked extensively about her past struggles and how Duke helped her.
"I will never forget Director Rosenberg, he has been my guide in Hollywood, showing me the right path. I have been preparing for this film and the role of Roxie since two years ago!"
Her words immediately caused an uproar in the media. What did this mean? While everyone was still immersed in the explosions of Duke's previous films, he was already preparing for his transformation!
Coming back to their senses, the media, guided by some public relations efforts, immediately started hyping up Duke's two-year transformation and some untold stories between him and Naomi Watts.
As news is time-sensitive, while the topics surrounding Naomi Watts were just cooling down, good news came from the Toronto Film Festival: Chicago had won the 1996 Audience Choice Award!
This was a prestigious award, and while it had limited recognition in Europe and around the world, in North America, especially in the media industry, this award carried far more weight than the Golden Bear, Golden Lion, and Palm d'Or, particularly in the eyes of the audience.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Warner Brothers released a second round of posters and the first trailer, both featuring the "Audience Choice Award Winner" subtitle. Even billboards in Broadway and London's West End added this new promotional slogan.
The quality of the film was the foundation, but promotional efforts were essential for its commercial success. Both went hand in hand.
As the media industry continued to grow, the ways films were promoted became more diverse, with new tactics emerging, and the standards for low-budget promotions got lower.
By November, paparazzi had taken photos of Duke and Catherine Zeta-Jones shopping together on Rodeo Drive, even capturing images of them kissing. This confirmed the rumors about the explosion king and the new female lead being romantically involved. Their homes in the Greater Los Angeles area became a hotspot for paparazzi.
What had started as occasional rumors eventually became a fact, as gossip spread rapidly among the public. The level of excitement among the tabloids was evident, and gossip was one of the most popular and fast-spreading topics among the public.
"Duke finds true love, and is dating Chicago's female lead..."
"Chicago, the film that changed Duke Rosenberg's life, through which he met his muse."
Although it didn't make the headlines of major newspapers like the "New York Times," Chicago and Duke grabbed plenty of headlines in tabloid media like the New York Post.
When a film enters its promotional phase, no director would stay completely behind the scenes. Given Duke's status in Hollywood and the media influence of Warner Brothers, getting tabloid media coverage was not difficult.
To attract more attention, Panny Kallis also released several pieces of specially written reports, particularly with World News Weekly leading the charge in the media's active participation in the publicity.
"With four major box office hits, Duke Rosenberg has earned a hefty reward. According to reliable sources, he made at least $300 million from those four films, meaning this young director is now a billionaire. And who is Catherine Zeta-Jones? Before Chicago, many people had never heard of her. Why would she catch Duke's eye? Insiders close to Zeta-Jones claim that she pursued Duke for his wealth, as she openly admitted, 'I pursued him because he's rich.'"
These media outlets were skeptical of Duke and Catherine Zeta-Jones's relationship, but this was actually part of Panny Kallis' planned strategy.
"Duke and Catherine Zeta-Jones grew close on the set of Chicago, where they had many topics about movies and musicals, but such a love affair is bound to not last. Hollywood has proven countless times that once the film ends, so will their relationship."
Meanwhile, Duke and Catherine Zeta-Jones both stayed at home, not commenting on the media frenzy, allowing the rumors to fully develop. Whether the coverage was positive or negative, it all served to spread the word about Chicago.
Of course, these were just supplementary promotional methods. The regular promotional efforts continued to ramp up, and by three weeks before Thanksgiving, Warner Brothers brought the promotion to its peak. As usual, they organized consecutive test screenings for theaters, media, and audiences. This time, however, the selected audience consisted of nostalgic viewers who were particularly fond of Chicago-type musicals.
As expected, most of those who had seen the film in advance were satisfied, and their reviews were quickly spread by the media. Warner also made the most of this, with Mia Valentin, the lead actress of the Broadway musical, coming out to support the film.
"I've already seen the film in advance, and it exceeded my expectations! It's a successful adaptation, and no one could have done it better than Director Rosenberg!"
She said in a media interview, "I think everyone who loves the Chicago musical should watch this movie. It will provide a completely different experience but will still move people!"
While not a standard big-budget production, the intense publicity surrounding Chicago managed to attract enough attention, and unconventional methods of promotion kept coming to grab even more eyeballs.
If a person's gossip is frequently hyped, it will inevitably lead to aesthetic fatigue. This time, Tom Cruise came out with his beautiful wife Nicole Kidman, creating more buzz.
